


Talk Some Sense To Me

by DaAmazingMeepers



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Crushes, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One-Sided Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 02:17:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11326581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaAmazingMeepers/pseuds/DaAmazingMeepers
Summary: Yamaguchi has had a crush on his best friend since he first met him, but when he confesses he's rejected coldly. The one who comforts him is the last person he ever would have expected.





	Talk Some Sense To Me

**Author's Note:**

> _And I found love where it wasn't supposed to be..._
> 
>  
> 
>    
>  _Right in front of me_

“I love you, Tsukki.”

Tsukishima halted in his tracks, slowly turning to look at Yamaguchi with a rare look of shock. “What?”

Yamaguchi looked down at his own fidgeting hands, his heart practically beating out of his chest. “I-I love you,” he repeated. “I’ve loved you for a long time now. Probably since you first saved me from those bullies.” He licked his lips nervously. “Y-you don’t have to give me an answer right away or anything, I-I just wanted to tell--”

“I can’t--” 

The stiff words pulled Yamaguchi’s gaze back to his friend, and he sees just how uncomfortable he looks, his face pinched in a grimace. “I can’t return your feelings, Yamaguchi. I’m not...I don’t feel that way about you.”

A thick feeling built up in Yamaguchi’s throat. “Tsukki--”

“Don’t,” Tsukishima snapped, not meeting his eyes. Abruptly, he turned to walk briskly away, his hands clenched into fists. “I need some time to myself.”

He didn’t look back once as he disappeared around the corner, and Yamaguchi didn’t try to stop him.

\-----

Yamaguchi had had a feeling that Tsukishima would react like that. It had been the most likely outcome, and he had told himself to prepare for the worst when he finally got the nerve to actually confess. He was really only telling him for his own peace of mind, having held on to those feelings for so long that they felt more like a burden than the harmless secret he had told himself they were when he first realized them.

Knowing all that, he wasn’t sure what he was doing curled up on the stairs to the gym, crying his eyes out with quiet sobs. It was supposed to be easier, knowing that he was going to be rejected, but somehow watching it all play out before his eyes hurt so much worse. Not only had he been rejected by the person he had loved for most of his life, but he had likely also lost his friendship.

He scrubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands, trying to will the tears away. If his mother noticed that he had been crying she would definitely insist that he tell her what had happened, and he wasn’t ready for her to know about his sexuality just yet. She had remained blissfully unaware of the massive crush he had been harboring all those years, and he didn’t know how she would react to knowing that her son had stronger feelings for a boy than for any girl he had ever thought was cute. He didn’t think he would be able to handle it if she ended up reacting badly after all this. 

The sound of the gym door opening behind him startled him out of his thoughts, and with a soft gasp he whipped his head around to look at the cause of the noise. In the doorway stood Kageyama, a look of surprise on his face. It was well after practice was over, and Yamaguchi had thought that everyone had already left. It figured that the one time he least wanted anyone to see him would be the one time that he was found. And by someone he didn’t really get along with, no less.

It wasn’t that he disliked Kageyama; he really had no quarrel with him, but Tsukishima disliked him, and Yamaguchi always sided with him. It was occasionally funny to see Kageyama get so riled up, but sometimes he felt guilty about how harsh some of the things Tsukishima said to him were. It was similar with Hinata, but at least with him Yamaguchi had started becoming closer friends, even if it was only when Tsukishima wasn’t there. He wouldn’t be surprised if Kageyama disliked him as much as he did Tsukishima.

The setter blinked a couple of times before he seemed to register what he was seeing and instantly looked uncomfortable, his eyes averting to the side. “Ah, I forgot my water bottle,” he stated stiffly, as if he owed Yamaguchi an explanation of why he was there.

“O-oh, right,” Yamaguchi squeaked, quickly scrambling to move out of the way so Kageyama could get by.

Kageyama passed him without meeting his eyes. Great, if Kageyama hadn’t thought much of him before, he definitely thought he was pathetic now. Hell, Yamaguchi thought he was pretty pathetic too. He looked down with a sniffle, making an attempt to wipe his face with the back of his hand. Mostly it just smeared his tears across his cheeks. 

Suddenly the sound of someone sitting on the step next to him caught his ear, and when he looked up he found that Kageyama had returned and was offering a packet of tissues to him. He seemed way out of his comfort zone, but he also didn’t appear to be getting up any time soon. Blinking in surprise, Yamaguchi hesitantly accepted the packet, using a tissue to wipe his nose. “Th-thanks,” he muttered, his voice still slightly shaky from crying. 

He could see a faint flush of embarrassment on Kageyama’s cheeks. It was a little amusing how easy it was to get him flustered for someone with such a scary face. Yamaguchi might have had to disguise a laugh if he wasn’t still feeling so miserable. “No problem,” Kageyama replied gruffly.

For a while they both just sat there in awkward silence, neither of them able to meet the other’s eye. Yamaguchi really wasn’t sure why he was there when they had hardly spoken two words to each other when Tsukishima wasn’t there. He found himself almost wishing that Hinata was there to act as a noisy buffer between them like he usually did, even if he didn’t really want anyone else seeing him while he looked like such a mess. Self-consciously he reached up to tug at his bangs, as if to try to hide his tear-stained and likely blotchy face. His hair wasn’t really long enough for it, which made him feel stupid for trying.

After a time, he heard Kageyama clear his throat, and when he looked to him he found the setter with an almost painfully awkward look on his face, opening and closing his mouth several times before he finally managed to ask, “are, uh, are you okay?” 

Yamaguchi shot him a blank look. “Not...not really,” he stated flatly.

Kageyama grimaced. “O-oh,” he spoke, uncomfortably scratching his chin. “I, uh, I guess that’s pretty obvious.”

 _Then why did you bother asking?_ Yamaguchi wanted to ask, but he chose to hold his tongue, looking back down at his lap. 

Another long pause passed between them, and then a soft sigh from Kageyama drew Yamaguchi’s attention back to him. “Look,” he setter spoke bluntly, “I’m not really good with emotions. Not...not like other people are.” He pursed his lips, seemingly searching for the right words to say. “But...if you wanted to talk about it with someone, I don’t have anywhere else to be, and I can listen.”

Yamaguchi’s mouth nearly dropped open at that. Was the emotionally challenged and eternally angry-looking Kageyama really trying to offer him support? After all the times that Yamaguchi had laughed at him with Tsukki? Was he in some sort of alternate universe? There had to be some catch to this. The longer he stared, the more an embarrassed flush grew on Kageyama’s face. At that point he looked like he would rather be anywhere else than there, and yet he still didn’t leave. At last, Yamaguchi managed to gather his thoughts, swallowing thickly. “Why are you doing this?” he asked, his voice not nearly as steady as he would have liked it to be. “We’re not...we’re not close. I didn’t even think you liked me at all.”

Kageyama let out a huff, his usual act of covering up embarrassment with bluster emerging. “It’s not like I _dislike_ you,” he grumbled. “I mean, you’re at least better than Tsukishima, even if you still hang around him all the time.” 

The reminder of his best friend made Yamaguchi’s heart clench. His sudden miserable silence seemed to make Kageyama flustered all over again. “M-my point is, if you need someone to talk to, I don’t mind,” he stammered. “But, I mean, if you’d rather I just leave I can go.” 

The silence between them for several seconds after that was almost deafening. Yamaguchi couldn’t find any sign of insincerity in Kageyama’s expression, and an indiscernible feeling ballooned in his chest. He wasn’t really sure what made him do it, but somehow he found himself taking Kageyama’s offer. “I, ah, got rejected,” he confessed, looking down at his knees. “By someone I like.”

Okay, so it wasn’t the full story, but it was more than he had ever thought he would be telling Kageyama about. Evidently Kageyama felt the same way, as he blinked in surprise before blushing and scratching the back of his head. “Oh,” he mumbled awkwardly. “That, uh, that sucks.”

Yamaguchi laughed bitterly. “Yeah, it does.” 

The silence had returned, and Yamaguchi wondered what Kageyama must be thinking at that moment. As far as he knew, the setter had only ever shown his love for volleyball, and had never had to deal with a love confession before. Out of curiosity he turned his head to try to see how Kageyama was reacting, only to find him staring thoughtfully at Yamaguchi.

“What?” Yamaguchi asked nervously.

After a moment’s hesitation, Kageyama asked, “Was it Tsukishima?”

Yamaguchi felt his blood run cold. “I-it’s that obvious?” he yelped frantically. It had to be if someone as emotionally oblivious as Kageyama noticed it.

His expression not changing, Kageyama scratched the back of his head. “Ah, not really I guess,” he stated with a shrug. “I just haven’t really seen you hanging around anyone besides him. And anyway, I figured if it was anyone else then he would be the one comforting you instead of me.”

“Oh,” Yamaguchi spoke quietly. What Kageyama said was true enough; while Tsukishima’s methods of comforting people weren’t what you would call traditional, there had been a few times where Yamaguchi knew that he was trying to make him feel better in his own way (usually after encounters with bullies). It could have been something as small as a passive aggressive remark about the one who had hurt Yamaguchi’s feelings, or letting Yamaguchi eat the last of his french fries after they had gotten soggy just the way he liked them, but it was enough. 

Except now it was looking less likely that Tsukishima would be trying to comfort him again anytime soon, if ever. Hell, he might not even want to talk to him anymore after this.

With that thought, Yamaguchi found himself tearing up again, much to his dismay. Kageyama noticed instantly and became flustered, his arms flailing in distress. “S-sorry,” Yamaguchi sniffed, turning in a futile attempt to hide his tears. “I thought I was done crying…”

He used his sleeve to dry his cheeks, but the flow didn’t stop no matter how much he tried to force it to. As if he hadn’t humiliated himself enough that day.

A sudden hand on his shoulder caught him off guard, making him look at Kageyama in surprise.The setter was carefully avoiding meeting Yamaguchi’s eyes, his cheeks flushed pink. “Tsukishima is an idiot if he’s willing to throw what you have away,” he stated stiffly. 

It was phrased awkwardly, and it was clear that Kageyama had no idea what he was doing, but there was a sincerity to his words. A soft huff of laughter escaped Yamaguchi, a sad smile spreading across his face. “It’s not like I can change his sexuality,” he pointed out. 

Kageyama scoffed. “Maybe not, but if you’ve put up with his terrible personality this long then it would be stupid of him to let something like this get in the way of that. Hell, he should be paying you to be friends with him at this point.”

Yamaguchi might have tried to defend his best friend, but he really couldn’t deny that Tsukishima did have a terrible personality; Tsukishima himself had admitted it on multiple occasions. The idea of him paying Yamaguchi to be friends with him was a laughable one, but somehow it made Yamaguchi feel a little better to think of it like that. Somehow their friendship had managed to withstand Tsukishima’s misanthropy even through all these years; that had to count for something, right?

With a quiet sniffle, a very small smile appeared on Yamaguchi’s face, this one a little less sad. He dried his tears again and looked back to the setter on his right. “Thanks, Kageyama,” he spoke quietly.

A surprised look crossed Kageyama’s face, and after a moment he looked away, an embarrassed flush on his cheeks. “N-no problem,” he muttered.

Yamaguchi had to stop himself from giggling. Who knew a simple thank you could leave Kageyama so flustered? It was kind of cute, in a way…

He looked down at his feet, feeling a little embarrassed himself. The silence between them stretched uncomfortably long between them before Kageyama finally stood up. “Well, I should get home,” he announced, adjusting the strap of his back on his shoulder. He took a couple of steps away before pausing and looking back to Yamaguchi with a slight frown. “Are you...gonna be okay?” he asked hesitantly.

Yamaguchi sent him a grateful look. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he assured him. “Don’t worry about me.”

Kageyama nodded stiffly. “Good,” he said gruffly, pausing again before adding, “goodnight, Yamaguchi.” And with that he walked off, disappearing around the corner.

Yamaguchi sat there a little while longer, staring at the last place Kageyama had been. That was possibly the strangest experience he had ever been through. And yet there was no denying that he felt much better than he had before talking to Kageyama. With a smile, he finally stood and headed home, making sure to throw his used tissue in a garbage can on the way.

\-----

The next morning, Yamaguchi’s face felt a little puffy from all the crying he had done the previous night. As much as talking to Kageyama had helped, that didn’t change the fact that he hadn’t heard from Tsukishima at all since he had left the previous evening. He stared at his phone for a few minutes, as if willing it to light up with the number that he had memorized long ago, but the screen remained dark, mocking him in its inactivity. 

Eventually, he sighed and got out of bed, trudging through his morning routine. When he arrived in the kitchen, his mom was already there, plating up whatever she had just finished cooking. She smiled when she turned and saw him. “Good morning, Tadashi!” she greeted. “I have some omurice for you if you want it.”

Yamaguchi managed a weary smile for her. “Thanks, mom,” he replied, sitting down at the table.

She set a plate in front of him before frowning in concern. “You alright? You were awfully quiet when you got home last night; you’re not coming down with something are you?”

For a brief moment, Yamaguchi considered saying that he was just so he wouldn’t have to go to school, but his conscience won out and he shook his head. “I’m fine,” he stated, picking up his fork. “Practice was just rough yesterday.”

His mother gave him a skeptical look before turning back to the stove. “Well alright, but try not to push yourself too hard today. I don’t want you hurting yourself,” she said cheerfully.

 _A little late for that,_ he thought, giving her a weary smile before focusing on his breakfast. The rest of breakfast was spent listening to his mother’s quiet humming as she went about her tasks, and Yamaguchi found himself grateful for the normalcy of it all. However, it couldn’t last forever, and eventually he said his goodbyes to her and shouldered his bag to head for school.

It was the first time he had walked to school alone since he was eight years old.

He arrived at school with his shoulders feeling heavy, dreading what would happen when he got to class. He shared a lot of the same classes with Tsukishima, and he didn’t think he’d be able to face him. When he reached homeroom, Tsukishima’s seat was still empty, and a subtle relief filled Yamaguchi’s chest. He took his seat and was pulling out his notebook when the boy in front of him turned around to talk to him. “Hey Yamaguchi, could I borrow yours or Tsukishima’s notes from yesterday? I was out sick.”

Yamaguchi just barely managed to keep from flinching at the mention of Tsukishima’s name and forced a smile. “Ah, yeah, sure, I can give them to you after class,” he answered.

The boy grinned. “Awesome! Thanks, you’re a lifesaver!”

Yamaguchi gave him a small nod and waited until his classmate turned back around before letting his smile drop. It wasn’t really surprising that the rest of the class pretty much considered him and Tsukishima a package deal at this point. He wasn’t sure if anyone in that room had ever seen one of them without the other. 

It wasn’t until right before the bell rang that Tsukishima finally appeared in the door. Their eyes momentarily met, and Yamaguchi found his heart skipping a beat. Then Tsukishima looked away with the same odd grimace from the night before and sat in his desk without a word. A heavy feeling filled Yamaguchi’s stomach as he looked down at his notebook laid out on his desk. 

He should never have said anything. 

The tension was thick and imposing throughout the lesson, and sometimes Yamaguchi swore that he could feel some of the other students giving them confused looks behind his back. He could have been imagining it,- he supposed, but it was distracting enough that his note page that day was practically empty compared to note pages from previous days. Occasionally he tried glancing at Tsukishima out of the corner of his eye, and each time he resolutely stared down at his paper.

The moment the next bell rang Tsukishima was packing up, and before Yamaguchi could even think of saying anything he was out the door. With a sigh, Yamaguchi turned to lend the promised notes to his classmate, who gave him a concerned look. “What’s up with you and Tsukishima?” he questioned. “You two fighting or something?”

Yamaguchi cringed. “Something like that,” he muttered.

Thankfully, he only actually shared two classes with Tsukishima, and the second one wasn’t until the end of the day. However, that was a small comfort knowing that he couldn’t avoid him at practice later. He spent the next several class periods contemplating whether he could get away with pretending to be sick to get out of it, but as Hinata had randomly shown up in his classroom not long before lunch and had seen him decidedly not sick, he figured it wouldn’t be a good idea to try. He could handle something as small as this, right?

Despite his self-encouragement, when it was actually time to go to practice, he found himself dragging his feet and taking as long as he could get away with to put his gym uniform on. Of course, there was only so much time he could take to fold his uniform to put in his locker and tie his shoelaces. He finally let out a sigh and headed out of the club room and into the gym.

Everyone else was already there and warming up, and when he caught the sight of slightly curly blond hair a familiar ache flared up in his chest. He let the door close behind him and began moving automatically through stretches, looking at the floor. He could see Suga giving him a concerned look from off to the side, obviously noticing the tense silence between him and Tsukishima. He would probably try to talk to him about it soon.

However, Yamaguchi was surprised when it wasn’t Suga who approached him first, but Kageyama. He came to stand at Yamaguchi’s side, shifting uncomfortably when he turned to look at him. He seemed to struggle with finding the right words to say for a moment before finally speaking. “Uh...how’re you doing?”

Yamaguchi stared blankly. Was he...checking up on him? “Oh, um, I’m doing okay,” he said uncertainly.

Kageyama’s brow furrowed, and he looked over Yamaguchi’s shoulder at where he knew Tsukishima was standing. Yamaguchi blushed and looked down at his feet. “I’ll be fine,” he emphasized. “I can handle practicing with him.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Kageyama nodded and went back to yelling at Hinata. Yamaguchi watched him for a little bit before Ukai called for them to huddle up and he jogged over.

If his classes with Tsukishima had been awkward, then practice was twice as much. They practiced on opposite ends of the gym as much as possible, and when they had a 3-on-3 match with Tsukishima on the opposite team as him, neither of them would look each other in the eye. By the time practice was over, the whole team could tell that something was going on between them. Suga even came over to him to check on him during a water break. “You can talk to me about anything,” he promised. “I won’t judge.”

Yamaguchi fiddled with the mouthpiece of his water bottle. “I’m fine,” he spoke quietly. “Thanks for asking though.”

Suga eyed him with some hesitance, but he didn’t press it, nodding and returning to his setting practice. 

The end of practice couldn’t come fast enough for him, and he let out a sigh of relief when Ukai finally told them they were finished for the day. He and Tsukishima were still pointedly not making eye contact as they all filed into the club room to change. When they got there, Yamaguchi determinedly kept his back to everyone else as he changed, but he could still tell that Tsukishima was the first one to get dressed and leave. 

With a small sigh, he tugged his shirt on and turned to grab his bag only to find Hinata standing mere inches from him, making him yelp and jump a little. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” he protested.

Hinata’s eyes lit up. “You think I’m sneaky?” he asked, sounding pleased. “Kageyama told me I’m too noisy to ever sneak up on anyone!” He then became more serious, crossing his arms. “But never mind that, what’s up with you and Stingyshima?”

It felt strange to hear it so bluntly when everyone had been dancing around it all day, but Yamaguchi supposed Hinata had never been one for tact. Pursing his lips, he looked down at his feet. “It’s...complicated,” he stated. He wasn’t sure he was ready to explain his sexuality to someone who was as loud as Hinata.

The shorter boy put his hands on his hips, plainly put out at not getting a proper answer. “Okay, but what about this thing with you and Kageyama? Is that complicated too?” 

Yamaguchi looked at him in surprise. “Kageyama? What do you mean?” he exclaimed.

“Well, he was acting all weird around you,” Hinata explained as if it had been obvious. “Like he was all...hovery. And he kept glaring at him, even more than he does when Tsukishima calls him ‘King’.”

For some reason, hearing that made Yamaguchi feel almost flattered. They were still only barely friends, but Kageyama was still upset on his behalf? It was a little weird, but it was sweet in a way. 

He looked at Hinata who was staring at him expectantly and shook his head slightly. “I...I don’t really want to talk about it right now.” The hurt was still too new, and while he and Hinata had been becoming closer recently, he knew the redhead could be a blabbermouth.

Hinata eyed him suspiciously for a moment before letting out a huff. “Fine. But you’re hanging out with me this Saturday, and you’re telling me everything then!”

There was a brief moment of panic as Yamaguchi thought that the two days until Saturday weren’t enough for him to mentally prepare himself, but he knew Hinata wouldn’t quit asking until he told him so he let out a sigh. “Okay,” he conceded.

The stern look on Hinata’s face was instantly replaced with a grin. “Good! Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Yamaguchi!” he said cheerfully, and with that he shouldered his bag and bounced out the door. Yamaguchi could hear Kageyama yelling at him from the bottom of the stairs. 

With the immediate threat to his privacy out of the way, he grabbed his own bag and made his exit, mumbling a reply to the cheerful goodbyes from the few teammates still remaining in the clubroom. He didn’t have his float serve training that day, but even if he had he probably would have skipped it anyway due to mental exhaustion. Practice had never left him feeling so tired.

\-----

The days leading up to Saturday were somehow both far too quick and agonizingly slow. Every moment around Tsukishima as he blatantly ignored him seemed to drag on, making his heart squeeze in his chest. However, when the day he was supposed to hang out with Hinata finally arrived, he found himself wondering where all the time had gone.

They had agreed to meet at WcDonald’s, and when he got there it was easy enough to spot his friend’s bright hair among the lunch rush crowd. Hinata caught sight of him approaching and a wide grin spread across his face as he eagerly waved. His energy was at least a little contagious and Yamaguchi found himself returning the wave with a small smile.

The wait in line was spent with Hinata complaining about how hungry he was and that it was taking _forever_ to get to the front. It was an amusing enough distraction, and Yamaguchi couldn’t help but point out that they had only been waiting for five minutes at most, which got him unintelligible grumbling in return. At last they made it to the counter, and Hinata proceeded to order an almost ungodly amount of food. Either his eyes were bigger than his stomach, or he expected Yamaguchi to help him eat some of his meal. 

Of course, once they both had their food and had found a place to sit down, it was impossible to forget the reason they were hanging out in the first place. Hinata had hardly taken two bites of his cheeseburger before asking bluntly. “So what’s the deal with you and Tsukishima?”

Yamaguchi froze in the middle of taking a sip of his soda for a slightly uncomfortable amount of time before letting the straw fall from his mouth and letting out a soft sigh. It was obvious that Hinata wasn’t going to let him go without getting the answers he wanted, and in all honesty he was sick of keeping it all in anyway. “You can’t tell anyone else,” he spoke in preface, to which Hinata nodded eagerly.

Yamaguchi then proceeded to tell him everything, from his long-standing feelings for Tsukishima to Kageyama’s misguided attempts to make him feel better. Hinata listened surprisingly attentively, sometimes making surprised interjections. “What an asshole!” he exclaimed after Yamaguchi had finished telling his story. “I mean, I already knew Crappyshima was a jerk, but I never thought he would stoop so low!”

Yamaguchi shrugged, munching forlornly on a fry. It wasn’t quite the consistency he usually liked, but he was too hungry to wait for them to get soft. “I can’t really fault him for not being interested in me,” he pointed out. “He can’t force himself to like me.” 

Hinata huffed angrily. “Maybe, but you’re his best friend; he shouldn’t treat you like this!”

It reminded Yamaguchi of Kageyama’s gruff words the night he had found him outside of the gym, and he couldn’t help but smile. “You and Kageyama are so similar sometimes,” he commented.

An exaggerated shudder passed through Hinata. “Trust me, we’re nothing alike,” he protested, becoming more flustered when Yamaguchi didn’t manage to hold back an incredulous snort. “It’s true! He’s all grumpy all the time and is totally mean and doesn’t know how to talk to people!”

Yamaguchi grinned. “Maybe, but when it comes to your love of volleyball you’re basically twins!” he teased. He sipped at his drink again. “Besides, he’s not that mean.”

It felt a little like a role reversal, having to defend Kageyama against Hinata when it was usually the tiny middle blocker who was the one defending him against the likes of Tsukki and Yamaguchi. Hinata seemed to think so too, judging by the strange look he was sending him. There was a contemplative silence between them for a moment before Hinata asked, “So then, are you and Kageyama, like, friends now?”

The question caught Yamaguchi off guard, and he thought a moment before scratching the back of his head with a shrug. “I...don’t know?” he admitted. “I never really thought about it. I mean, it’s not like we hang out at all now.”

Hinata made a thoughtful noise, finishing off one of his hamburgers. “Yeah, but he’s different with you now,” he said. “He’s like, all protective and stuff, and when I tried to ask him why you were both acting all weird he just said--” here he pushed his hair down over his forehead and lowered his voice to mimic his teammate, “--’Mind your own damn business, dumbass! He’ll tell you if he wants you to know!’” 

Yamaguchi sent Hinata a wry look. “He had a point,” he stated. “This isn’t exactly something I want everyone knowing about.”

Hinata pouted. “I wouldn’t have told anyone,” he grumbled.

“Maybe not, but you definitely would have tried to fight Tsukki,” Yamaguchi retorted.

“I wouldn’t have tried to fight him!” Hinata protested, hesitating a moment before reluctantly adding, “I might have yelled at him though…”

Yamaguchi sighed. “It’s not worth it, Hinata,” he said firmly. “Yelling at him won’t change how he reacted.”

Hinata sunk down into his seat sullenly. “Maybe not,” he grumbled, “but it would feel really satisfying.”

A bark of laughter escaped Yamaguchi before he could stop it. He had witnessed Hinata’s protectiveness for his friends before, but now that it was for him specifically he couldn’t help but feel grateful. Even though Hinata was generally about as threatening as an angry baby bird.

“I appreciate that you’re willing to defend my honor,” he teased, to which Hinata responded by flicking a bit of french fry at him.

The subject was then dropped, and they spent the rest of their time hanging out talking about their upcoming practice game and the latest anime they had both gotten into. It was almost surprising how easy it was to forget about his stress in the moment. He had a feeling it had to do with Hinata’s perky and easygoing attitude; his cheer seemed almost infectious sometimes. By the time they parted ways several hours later, Yamaguchi promised a very insistent Hinata that they would definitely hang out again in the future.

Yamaguchi felt more at ease walking home than he had all week. The stress hadn’t completely gone away, but it somehow felt a little easier to deal with knowing he had at least two people on his side. However, as he arrived at his house he couldn’t help but think to what Hinata said about Kageyama treating him differently. Was it really that noticeable of a difference? He supposed he had noticed Kageyama hovering a bit, but he had just figured that was his social awkwardness acting up.

Well, he supposed he would have to see whether is was a good difference or not.

\-----

The next following school days, Yamaguchi noticed a shift in his social dynamic. Tsukishima was still ignoring him, but Hinata seemed to go out of his way to talk to him, and he got the vibe that his friend was making a point to get between him and Tsukishima. He was pretty sure he had caught Hinata glaring at the fellow middle blocker several times, but he played innocent whenever Yamaguchi sent him a pointed look. 

Not only was Hinata more present in his life, but also Kageyama by association. The two of them would stop to talk to him in the hall between classes, and Hinata made sure to invite him to eat lunch with the two of them every day. It felt weird at first, like he was intruding on some special dynamic that he didn’t understand, but after a while he got used to the way the two of them bickered like an old married couple, with Kageyama occasionally stealing food from Hinata’s bento. 

Yamaguchi noticed that Kageyama usually only brought a milk box for lunch, if anything, and when he commented on that, Kageyama explained that his mother was usually too busy to pack bentos for him, and while he could cook he was far from an expert, so he usually just stuck with using whatever money he had at the time to get something from the vending machines. When Yamaguchi pointed out that that probably wasn’t the best meal for an athlete to be having right before practice, he just shrugged. Feeling sorry for his newfound friend, Yamaguchi made sure to start asking his mom to pack a little extra of whatever she made to share with Kageyama. At first Kageyama was reluctant to take food from him, but he finally caved when Yamaguchi didn’t back down. Hinata usually ended up helping himself as well, but he was more than willing to trade items in his own bento for the ones he took from Yamaguchi’s.

Over time, Yamaguchi grew more comfortable in Hinata’s and Kageyama’s presence, laughing freely at their antics. Kageyama seemed to loosen up as well, the awkwardness that had been present at first slowly bleeding away until he was bantering with Yamaguchi as well, and even teasing him a little. Tsukishima’s rejection still stung when he thought about it too long, but he was finally beginning to feel a little better about moving on.

A few weeks later, Yamaguchi began to notice Tsukishima watching him from across the room at practice. Every time he met eyes with him Tsukishima would quickly look away, but he definitely wasn’t completely ignoring him anymore, and Yamaguchi wasn’t sure what that meant. Part of him wanted to feel hopeful that perhaps Tsukishima missed him and would at least start talking to him again, but he also didn’t want to be crushed all over again; he wasn’t sure if he could handle that a second time. 

When he mentioned it at lunch, Hinata was quick to go on the offense, as was usually the case when Tsukishima was mentioned. “Don’t be fooled, Yamaguchi!” he stated, half-chewed food falling from his mouth. “He’s probably thinking jerky thoughts!”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, stupid, that’s disgusting,” Kageyama scolded, passing Hinata a napkin that he accepted but didn’t use. 

Yamaguchi frowned, thinking on it for a moment before looking to the setter. “What do you think, Kageyama?” he asked.

Kageyama hesitated, scowling in thought before answering, “I think he’s going to have to come crawling on his hands and knees if he wants to be your friend again.”

The intensity in Kageyama’s voice surprised Yamaguchi. He knew Kageyama was on his side, but he had no idea he felt so strongly on the matter. A wave of fondness washed over him for Kageyama, and for Hinata as well when he saw him eagerly nodding in agreement. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said with a small smile. “Thanks, you guys.

It didn’t register with him how long he and Kageyama held their gaze after that, nor did he notice the thoughtful look that Hinata was giving both of them.

It wasn’t until a few days later that something finally happened. Practice had just finished, and Yamaguchi was about to change when a familiar voice spoke behind him. “Yamaguchi.”

With a squeak of surprise, he turned around to see Tsukishima standing behind him, his usual blank expression marred by a slight frown and dark bags under his eyes. Had he not been sleeping well? Yamaguchi tugged on his hair nervously. “Ah, w-what is it, Tsu-- Tsukishima?” he asked, changing it from his nickname at the last second as he was unsure if he was still comfortable with him calling him by it.

Tsukishima seemed to cringe slightly before replying. “I need to talk to you before you go home. Meet me by the shed.”

Yamaguchi’s heart began to pound. Oh god, this was it, the moment that could either fix or destroy everything. There was a tiny, vindictive part of him that wanted to say no, because what had he done to deserve a chance to talk after weeks of silence? However, the part of him that missed his friend was stronger.

Before he could say anything, Kageyama stepped between them, glaring fiercely at Tsukishima. “He doesn’t want to talk to you,” he snapped.

The look that Tsukishima gave him could freeze the hottest desert. “This is none of your business, King,” he retorted coldly. “Buzz off.”

Kageyama remained unintimidated, a terrifying grin crossing his face. “Too bad, I’m making it my business,” he stated.

The tension between them was thick enough to take a bite out of, and to prevent a fight from breaking out Yamaguchi put a hand on Kageyama’s shoulder. “Kageyama, it’s fine,” he said firmly. “I don’t mind talking to him.”

Kageyama gave him an uncertain look before nodding reluctantly and taking a step back, sending one more glare at Tsukishima, who looked smug. The smug look disappeared at Yamaguchi’s pointed glare though, and they each turned to finish cleaning up the gym.

The whole time Yamaguchi changed, he was having a small panic attack. He almost talked himself into chickening out and just going home three times, but he still somehow found himself standing next to the shed, facing the person who had refused to even look at him for almost a whole month. The person who wouldn’t even look him in the eye now.

For a while neither of them said anything, both simply standing there with their hands in their pockets, unable to find the words to say in the face of everything that had happened. Finally, Tsukishima spoke up. “You’ve been hanging out with the idiot duo a lot, huh?”

Yamaguchi stiffened and pursed his lips. “Well it’s not like I had the friend I usually hang out with,” he retorted.

Tsukishima grimaced, and the urge to apologize immediately flared up in Yamaguchi out of habit. That urge disappeared when his friend continued, “Still, you couldn’t have at least picked someone with some common sense?”

Had he said something like this in the past, Yamaguchi might have snickered, even complimented him on the burn. However, now it only served to ignite a protectiveness for the two people who had been there for him when his best friend hadn’t. He clenched his fists and glared at Tsukishima, who was clearly not expecting that reaction going by the surprised look on his face. “Look,” he snapped, “if you brought me out here after not talking to me for nearly a month just to insult my friends then we’re done here. I have better things to do with my time.”

He turned to go, but only made it two steps before a hand caught him by the arm. “Tadashi, wait.”

Yamaguchi froze. Tsukishima never called him by his given name, especially in public. He knew he had every right to keep walking, but all the same he caved in and turned to look at him.

There was a desperation in his eyes that Yamaguchi had never seen before, and it made his heart skip a beat. Tsukishima started to speak only to falter just before he could get the words out. He did this two more times before finally managing to say the words that he was struggling with so hard. 

“I’m sorry.”

Yamaguchi almost gasped, stunned that he was actually getting a verbal apology from him. The longer he stared at Tsukishima, the more progressively flustered he looked. “I shouldn’t have reacted that way,” the blond continued when Yamaguchi remained silent. “It was shitty of me.” He let out a sigh, finally letting go of Yamaguchi’s arm. “I still can’t return your feelings, but...I’ve missed talking to you.”

Yamaguchi’s heart clenched. Surprisingly, the rejection didn’t hurt as bad the second time around, maybe because he had already gotten used to the idea of Tsukishima not loving him back. However, he did feel a wave of gratitude, knowing how much it took for Tsukishima to not only to apologize out loud to him, but to do so in public. He had always had trouble expressing his emotions, and that he was going out of his way to do so for Yamaguchi was a big deal.

A wistful smile came to Yamaguchi’s face. “I never really expected you to return my feelings,” he admitted. “I was just tired of keeping them to myself.” He looked shyly down at his feet. “And I’ve missed talking to you too.”

Tsukishima’s eyes traveled back to Yamaguchi, a small glint of hope in his eyes. “So then...are we good?” he asked hesitantly.

Yamaguchi let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah, we’re good,” he replied gently.

The tension bled out of Tsukishima’s shoulders, his gaze turning warmer. “Good,” he spoke. 

The tender moment lasted a few seconds longer before Tsukishima’s expression became almost sheepish, clearly uncomfortable with the amount of emotion that he had just expressed. “Don’t even think about telling King or the shrimp about this,” he grumbled.

Yamaguchi couldn’t help but snort. “Of course,” he replied teasingly. “We wouldn’t want to damage your reputation.”

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

The familiarity of that phrase made Yamaguchi grin. “Sorry, Tsukki.”

He wasn’t sorry in the slightest.

\-----

Kageyama and Hinata were both skeptical of Tsukishima’s apology at first, Hinata saying he wouldn’t accept it until the day he saw him groveling at Yamaguchi’s feet. Kageyama didn’t make quite as broad claims as Hinata did, but his distrusting glares at Tsukishima said that he was of a similar mind. No matter how many times Yamaguchi tried to tell them they didn’t need to, the two of them continued to protectively hover around him.

Tsukishima certainly didn’t help matters, as he continued to treat the two of them with the same snarky contempt that he always did despite Yamaguchi’s exasperated scoldings. Every time that familiar smirk appeared on Tsukishima’s face, Hinata and Kageyama would immediately bristle and start shouting; at one point Kageyama almost punched him. It wasn’t until Daichi caught them fighting one too many times and scolded the three of them for nearly a half an hour straight, followed by Yamaguchi talking to each of them individually and telling them to get along for his sake, that they finally reluctantly called a truce.

Of course, now that Yamaguchi had finally made up with Tsukishima it didn’t mean that he went right back to eating with him in the classroom every day. He found he enjoyed spending lunch with Kageyama and Hinata too much to give it up, so he alternated for a while. After the animosity between Hinata, Kageyama and Tsukishima died down, Tsukishima started joining their little lunch group as well. He and Kageyama would snark back and forth at each other with Hinata interjecting, but the atmosphere wasn’t so hostile anymore, and Yamaguchi wasn’t sure he had ever felt so content in his life.

As another month passed, Yamaguchi found that his crush on Tsukishima had completely faded, leaving behind feelings of friendship that were even stronger than before he had confessed. He figured that it was the knowledge that they would never be together that finally killed the crush, and he was relieved that it was no longer hanging between them. Now that Tsukishima was no longer consuming all his thoughts, perhaps he would finally find a cute girl who he liked enough to bring home to his mom and she would never have to learn that he liked boys too.

Of course, real life never tended to take your plans into consideration.

His first hint that something had changed came when Hinata was home sick and Tsukishima couldn’t join him for lunch right away because he had to talk with one of his teachers. This meant that it was just Kageyama and Yamaguchi eating lunch together. It wasn’t really that big of a deal, but it was the first time he had been alone with Kageyama since the day he found him crying on the steps of the gym, so it felt a little strange. The first several minutes of lunch were silent as Yamaguchi pulled out his usual bento and passed his extra pair of chopsticks to Kageyama, the two of them unsure what to say to each other.

After a while, Yamaguchi finally let out a soft chuckle, causing Kageyama to look at him in confusion. “It’s so quiet without Hinata here. It feels almost wrong,” he admitted.

Kageyama snorted. “At least we finally get some peace and quiet for once,” he retorted.

Yamaguchi looked at him with a knowing smile. “What, you don’t miss him even a little bit?” he teased.

A flustered flush appeared on Kageyama’s face, and he averted his eyes with a huff. “Well I mean, it’s weird not having him here,” he admitted. “He may not know how to shut up, but he’s the first real friend I’ve ever had, so it’s not like I hate being around him.”

Yamaguchi’s eyebrows raised. He hadn’t expected his answer to be so...honest. “You didn’t have any friends in middle school? Or elementary?” he asked curiously.

Kageyama grimaced, looking down at his lap. “You know me,” he said dryly. “I’m not exactly the easiest person to get along with.”

Yamaguchi might have laughed and agreed with him if he hadn’t caught the hint of sadness in Kageyama’s eyes. For the first time, he pondered what it was like for Kageyama, being so isolated and despised by the people he saw the most often at school, not close enough to anyone to call them a friend. His own friend group might not have been the most expansive, but at least he had had Tsukishima throughout the years. A new wave of guilt at the way that he and Tsukishima had teased Kageyama about his nickname of ‘king’ washed over him. “You must have been lonely,” he murmured.

This comment seemed to catch Kageyama off guard, and he glanced at Yamaguchi before shrugging, popping a piece of steamed broccoli in his mouth. “Well it’s not like I didn’t deserve it,” he pointed out through the mouthful. “I was an asshole back then, and I didn’t care about anything that didn’t benefit me.” His frown deepened. “I’m...still like that sometimes. I’m trying to do better.”

That much was obvious; everyone had seen how hard Kageyama was trying to be a better setter, not just in his skills but in his mannerisms with the rest of the team. He often attempted to model after Suga, like a duckling trying to copy its mother’s actions. While this usually had mixed results, at least he was making the effort. 

A grin came across Yamaguchi’s face, and he gently nudged Kageyama’s shoulder with his own. “Yeah, well if Tsukki can act like an asshole almost all the time and still have a best friend, I don’t see why you can’t have one too,” he stated. This made Kageyama let out a startled bark of laughter, looking to Yamaguchi with a new appreciation. Yamaguchi’s smile became something softer as he continued. “And anyway, none of that matters, because you have us now.”

The way he said it could have come across as casual, but it obviously meant a great deal to Kageyama going by the stunned look on his face. For a long moment they sat there, simply holding each other’s gazes. There was a strange electricity in the air between them, and Yamaguchi’s eyes felt magnetized to Kageyama. He watched as the pink on Kageyama’s cheeks spread further across his face and his tongue darted out to wet his lips before the setter finally broke eye contact, turning his head and looking flustered. “Th-thanks,” he croaked.

The sound of his voice sent a shiver down Yamaguchi’s spine, breaking whatever spell that had been holding him in place and making a wave of awkwardness wash over him. “Ah...no problem,” he replied sheepishly.

Of course, that was the moment when Tsukishima walked into the courtyard. He took one look at both of their flushed faces and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know what happened while I was gone, and I don’t want to know,” he deadpanned.

The usual irritated scowl that came with Tsukishima’s presence returned to Kageyama’s face. “Shut up, asshole, nothing happened!” he snapped back.

Tsukishima snorted and sat across from Yamaguchi. “Whatever you say, King.”

The conversation soon moved on to snarky banter, and the familiarity of it made Yamaguchi feel a little more at ease. His blush died away and his heartbeat slowed to a more regular rhythm, but he still couldn’t help but wonder just what had passed between him and Kageyama. It had felt kind of nice in the moment, but it was an unknown factor to a still relatively new friendship, and that made him feel unsettled. Maybe he would be better off just forgetting about the whole thing for now.

He was more quiet than usual for the rest of lunch period. Tsukishima gave him a suspicious look as they were packing up, but he made no comment. Yamaguchi had never been so grateful for his friend’s disinterest in other people’s business.

\-----

Over time, Yamaguchi began to notice other little things about Kageyama. Nothing important, just subtle things that for some reason stuck out to him. For example, he had thought Kageyama’s eyes were black, but he found that they were actually a deep blue, like stormy ocean waters. He automatically felt like an idiot for making such a poetic comparison, even if it was only in his head, but simply saying they were blue felt like he was doing an injustice to them.

He noticed that a barely contained, excited smile would appear on Kageyama’s face every time he and Hinata completed a good quick. It was tiny, well disguised, but it was genuine and very different from the terrifying grin that he had when he was trying to emulate Suga. When Yamaguchi spotted it the first time, he found himself seeking out another glimpse of it as much as possible.

He noticed the way Kageyama’s forehead crinkled when he was thinking especially hard, which tended to scare off the people who didn’t know him well enough to tell that that wasn’t his angry face. The way he blushed so brightly when he was flustered. The way he focused so strongly on his fingernails as he filed them down right before a practice match.

Every time Yamaguchi noticed something new about Kageyama, a warm, bubbly feeling would fill his chest. It was a familiar feeling, one that had been with him since he was a kid, except back then it had been directed at a different boy. However, that wasn’t a fact that he was quite ready to face, and he made excuse after excuse to himself. _It’s not the same situation! You’re just imagining it because you’re not used to having Kageyama as a friend! It’ll go away soon!_

He didn’t realize just how deep he was in until he found himself watching Kageyama during practice as he took a long drink from his water bottle. The lights of the gym glinted off the sweat that dotted the setter’s face and neck, and as his eyes followed a trickle of water that escaped the corner of his mouth to slowly drip down his chin, Yamaguchi felt his mouth go dry.

_Oh._

_I have a crush on Kageyama._

Upon coming to this realization, Yamaguchi was tempted to outright avoid Kageyama until the crush disappeared. As appealing as this idea was though, he knew he couldn’t stop talking to him now that they had become so close; Kageyama would probably think that he had done something to offend him, which wouldn’t be fair to him. He was just relieved that Kageyama was so oblivious when it came to people’s feelings.

However, he wasn’t quite so lucky when it came to Tsukishima. They were walking home from school one day when Tsukishima spoke up. “You know, I’m really starting to question your taste in men.”

Yamaguchi looked at him with wide eyes. “Huh? What do you mean?” he asked in confusion.

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, first you liked me, and now the king. Do you have a thing for assholes or something?”

Immediately, Yamaguchi’s face turned bright red. “Wha-- how did you know about that?!” he squeaked.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. “Please, you’ve been so antsy around him that I’m surprised he hasn’t noticed. Or at least I would be if he wasn’t an idiot,” he grumbled.

Yamaguchi almost felt ill. Just how obvious was he being? Had the rest of the team noticed? Oh god, what would they think of him? His only comfort was that Kageyama was at least still apparently unaware. 

His hands were just beginning to shake when Tsukishima elbowed him in the side. “Oi, quit freaking out. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Yamaguchi gave him a doubtful look. “It’s kind of a big deal,” he retorted. “Anyway, I’m surprised you’re okay with it considering how you two get along.”

Tsukishima shrugged. “Hey, if you’ve got bad taste, there’s nothing I can do about that,” he stated. “You’re the one who would be dating him, so you’re the one who’d have to deal with him.” He then looked embarrassed for the first time in the conversation. “Besides, as long as he makes you happy, it doesn’t really matter what I think.”

As much as the thought of actually dating Kageyama made Yamaguchi blush (he wasn’t even past the crush stage yet!), he couldn’t help but feel a wave of fondness for his best friend. He may have already known that he cared, but it was nice to have a reminder every once in a while. He gently nudged Tsukishima’s shoulder with his own. “Thanks, Tsukki,” he said warmly.

Tsukishima pointedly avoided eye contact, a faint flush on his cheeks. “Whatever,” he muttered gruffly. Yamaguchi could tell he was pleased though.

They walked a little longer before Tsukishima spoke up again. “That being said, if he makes you cry, he’ll get no mercy.”

Yamaguchi snorted. “I’m still not even sure if I want to confess to him,” he admitted. “It seems pretty unlikely that we’d actually get together, and we only just barely became friends. I don’t want to ruin it so soon.”

Tsukishima let out a huff. “He may be an idiot, but he’d really have to be a special kind of stupid to let something like that ruin your friendship.”

Yamaguchi stared at him for a moment before letting out a giggle, causing Tsukishima to give him a questioning look. “You know, he said almost the same thing about you right after I confessed to you,” he said with a teasing grin. “Maybe you have something in common with him after all.”

The look of utter disgust that appeared on Tsukishima’s face made Yamaguchi burst out laughing.

\-----

The next person to notice his feelings was - shockingly - Hinata. 

He and Yamaguchi had taken to hanging out every other weekend, either going out to get some fast food or staying at one house or the other to play video games or watch some TV. Hinata liked to call them “friend dates”, which made Tsukishima roll his eyes and Kageyama scrunch his face in confusion and what looked like disgust but was probably something much more tame, based on Yamaguchi’s experience with Kageyama’s other “angry” facial expressions. 

For that particular friend date they were at Yamaguchi’s house, lounging on his bed with some sort of American superhero movie playing on his computer. Usually Hinata liked to chatter up a storm during these movies, laughing loudly at little things he noticed, but today he was oddly quiet. Just as Yamaguchi was beginning to wonder if he was feeling okay, he spoke. “Yamaguchi, do you like Kageyama?”

Yamaguchi swore he felt his heart stop. He did his best to play it cool, shrugging and keeping his eyes on the screen. “Well yeah, we are friends,” he stated, trying very hard not to sound like someone who was on the verge of a freak out.

Hinata shook his head with a frown. “No, not like that,” he insisted. “I mean _like_ -like him, you know? Like, does he make your heart go all ‘bwaaah’ and ‘tha-thump’?”

The laugh that came out of Yamaguchi’s mouth was a bit more nervous than he would have liked. “Hinata, you know that most people don’t speak in sound effects, ri--?”

“Yamaguchi.”

He froze at the tone of Hinata’s voice, chancing a look at him. He looked more serious than he ever had (at least about subjects that weren’t volleyball). “You know what I mean,” Hinata stated.

Yamaguchi clenched his fist, looking down at his lap. He had no idea how Hinata had found out, but it was clear that there was no use in trying to pretend. “Yeah, I do like him,” he admitted quietly.

Hinata sat back, looking pleased with himself. “I thought so. You’ve been acting all weird and blushy for a while now.”

Yamaguchi sent him an alarmed look. He had been hoping that Hinata had learned about his feelings because someone pointed them out to him, but if he was being obvious enough for him to just notice… “Does Kageyama know?” he blurted in a panic.

Hinata considered the question with a hum. “I don’t think he does,” he finally answered. “He may be super observant about volleyball related stuff, but he’s oblivious with feelings.”

A relieved sigh escaped Yamaguchi and he slumped back on his bed. “Thank god,” he muttered.

Hinata sent him a curious look. “Would it really be that big a deal if he knew?”

Yamaguchi glared at him. “Um, yeah, it absolutely would,” he stated. “I’ve already dealt with one rejection this year, I don’t want to have to deal with another one.”

“But what if he didn’t reject you?” Hinata countered, flopping down next to him. “He could want to date you too.”

Yamaguchi scoffed. “Yeah right. He’s more likely to date you than me.”

“Gross,” Hinata retorted, kicking him in the thigh. “He’s too angry-looking, not cute at all! Plus, we’d probably just fight all the time.” 

While the second statement was likely true, Yamaguchi felt he could contest that first part. There were a lot of times he felt that Kageyama could be classified as ‘cute’. Hinata had clearly never seen when he was excited about something. Or when he was embarrassed and trying to hide it. Or the delighted, wobbly smile that he had gotten the first time he had managed to get a dog to actually let him pet it. 

Hinata suddenly snickered, and Yamaguchi looked at him in confusion. “You just had the sappiest look on your face,” the redhead explained. “You’ve really got it bad.”

Yamaguchi turned red. “Shut up,” he mumbled, shoving his friend on the shoulder.

Hinata merely cackled and rolled over so he was laying on his stomach. “But really, I think Kageyama probably likes you too,” he said, sounding almost contemplative.

As much as he tried to suppress it, a hint of hope flared up in Yamaguchi. “What makes you think that?” he asked, trying not to sound too eager.

Hinata kicked his legs back and forth behind him and rested his chin on his hand, looking every part a gossipy teenage girl in a rom com movie. “Well, he’s been staring at you a lot lately,” he explained. “Remember when he was yelling at me for laughing at him yesterday? It was because he was so busy staring at you that he missed a set and the ball bounced off the top of his head.”

Yamaguchi’s traitorous heart skipped a beat. Had Kageyama really been staring at him that much? It didn’t seem possible with how much he himself had been staring at the setter, but apparently he hadn’t been staring at the right times. All the same, he tried to remain skeptical. “Okay, but staring at me doesn’t automatically mean he likes me,” he pointed out. “He could have just been zoning out, or...or maybe I had something on my face or something...”

“Hmm, maybe,” Hinata conceded, before a cheeky grin appeared on his face. “Except every time he realized I caught him staring he’d instantly blush and look away.”

A blush of his own came to Yamaguchi’s cheeks. The idea that Kageyama might possibly like him back seemed like a completely unrealistic hope, but if what Hinata was saying was true...did he actually have a chance? Or was it that he just wanted to believe that he did and was grasping on to any little hint he could find?

He laid there wearing a silent frown for almost a full minute before Hinata rolled his eyes and poked him in the side of the head. “Look, I get that you’re worried and all that, but I think you should tell Kageyama how you feel. I’m like, ninety percent sure he likes you back, but even if he doesn’t, it’s not like he’s gonna stop being friends with you. You saw him when Grumpyshima wasn’t talking to you, there’s no way he would treat you the same way.”

Although Yamaguchi still had some doubts about Kageyama having feelings for him, he had to admit that Hinata did have a point. With how protective Kageyama had been over him when they were barely friends, it was pretty unlikely that he would react that badly now that they had become so close. This realization made him feel a little better, and he managed a small smile.

Of course, instead of voicing any of this, he teased,” I’m not sure I trust your knowledge of percentages enough to rely on your judgement.”

Hinata let out an offended gasp, giving him a shove. “Excuse you, I’ve been doing better in math!” he declared. “Stupidshima is a terrible influence on you!”

“Do you ever plan on calling Tsukki by his actual name?” Yamaguchi asked, bracing himself against Hinata’s attack with amusement.

Hinata took to flopping gracelessly on top of Yamaguchi. “Nope. Never,” he retorted. “He’s gonna have to deal with my insults forever.”

Eventually Hinata’s attention was drawn back to the movie, upon which he insisted they rewind it since they had evidently missed an important scene to the plot. Yamaguchi complied, but in the end he didn’t really catch the scene the second time around either.

\-----

The next week passed in much a similar way that the previous few weeks had, with Yamaguchi hanging out with the other first year players at school every day while quietly pining for Kageyama. However, he also did his best to pay more careful attention to how Kageyama acted around him specifically. Hinata seemed confident that Kageyama had some sort of feelings for him, but he wanted to be absolutely certain before he considered confessing.

He began to notice little things that seemed to go with Hinata’s suspicions. When their eyes met for too long, Kageyama would quickly look away, seemingly trying to hide his face. A few times when Yamaguchi had laughed at something funny Kageyama said he could see a pink tint to the setter’s cheeks. Whenever there was physical contact of any sort between them, Kageyama seemed to lean into the touch.

A part of Yamaguchi’s brain still tried to tell him that he was perhaps simply seeing what he wanted to see. That he was getting his hopes up too high and if he wasn’t careful they would be crushed all over again. But the more evidence piled up, the quieter that part became.

What finally cemented it for him was when Kageyama invited him to stay later to practice serves and receives with him. Yamaguchi blinked in surprise, his hand frozen halfway to his locker in the clubhouse. “Ah, don’t you usually practice with Hinata?” he asked dumbly.

Kageyama scowled slightly. “He has to babysit his sister today, so he can’t stay late.” A light flush then crossed his face, and he averted his eyes. “And anyway...I think it would be n-nice to practice with you too,” he admitted.

Yamaguchi immediately felt his heart try to leap out of his chest. Even if it was only because Hinata was unavailable, to be invited to practice with him was pretty much the highest form of honor that Kageyama could bestow upon a person. A warm, bubbly feeling filled Yamaguchi, and a giddy grin spread across his face. “Yes!” he exclaimed. “Definitely, I’d-- I’d love to practice with you!”

Instantly Kageyama’s eyes lit up, his whole being radiating a pleased energy that took Yamaguchi’s breath away. “Daichi said we can use the gym until he comes by to lock it up since he has to stay late for a captain’s meeting,” he explained. 

Yamaguchi laughed at Kageyama’s obvious excitement. “Okay,” he agreed. “Just let me text my mom so she knows I’ll be home late.”

With a nod, Kageyama then disappeared from the doorway, the hint of a blush still lingering on his cheeks and the tips of his ears as he jogged toward the gym. Yamaguchi stared after him until he couldn’t see him any more, and then proceeded to hide his face in his hands, giggling and blushing like a schoolgirl. He was glad almost everyone else had left the club room by then, because he definitely looked ridiculous right then. 

Despite how thrilled he was, he did his best to tone it down in front of Kageyama; hints or no, he wasn’t quite ready to reveal his feelings yet. It started off fairly normally, taking turns with one of them serving the ball on one side of the room, and the other one trying to receive it on the other side. It was more difficult for Yamaguchi, as he was still working on perfecting his float serve and it didn’t always go the way he wanted it to. Receiving Kageyama’s jump serves was almost scary as well, and he rarely managed to get a solid recieve in. Normally he would have found that frustrating, but at the time he was still too pleased to be practicing one on one with Kageyama to care too much.

Eventually, Kageyama paused in serving, spinning the ball in his hands. “Did you, uh, did you want to...practice spiking?” he asked, sounding almost nervous. 

Yamaguchi’s eyebrows went up. “Oh, ah, sure,” he agreed, scratching the back of his head. “You probably want to practice setting more, right?”

Kageyama looked sheepish, but he didn’t deny it. Yamaguchi ducked under the net, catching the ball that was tossed to him. He wasn’t particularly good at spiking, and he probably wouldn’t have to do it in an actual match any time soon, but the thought of spiking one of Kageyama’s tosses was an oddly pleasing thought.

Once they were in position, Yamaguchi gently threw the ball into the air, Kageyama expertly stepping right under where the ball would land. It was hard to drag his attention away from how attractive the setter was when he was in full concentration mode, but he forced himself to run towards the net, jumping up at the last second. He saw the ball go up out of the corner of his eye, and smacked it when it was within range.

It was nothing like one of Kageyama and Hinata’s freak quicks. In fact, one might say there was nothing special about it at all. However, there was something about the sound of the ball slamming down on the other side of the court that made him feel invigorated. He landed on his feet and looked to Kageyama. The there was a satisfied expression on his face that made Yamaguchi’s heart flip. 

“You should practice spiking more often,” Kageyama stated, ducking under the net to retrieve the ball. “You could be really dangerous on the court.”

A blush graced Yamaguchi’s face, and he shuffled his feet. “I don’t know about that,” he said with a soft laugh. “Spiking has never really been my strong suit. I’d probably be better off sticking to my float serve.”

The sound of Kageyama’s shoes squeaking on the floor sounded through the gym, and when Yamaguchi next looked up, Kageyama was right in front of him, a serious look on his face. “Don’t sell yourself short,” he stated softly, holding the ball out to him. “You’re more than capable. With enough practice, you could be great.”

Yamaguchi’s mouth abruptly felt dry. His eyes were locked on Kageyama’s, magnetized in a way that reminded him of that day they had shared lunch in the courtyard of the school. His heart was beating at a similar pace as it had been that day as well. He watched as Kageyama’s eyes flicked down briefly to his lips, and he resisted the urge to lick them. 

_This is it,_ he thought to himself in bewilderment. _I’m about to tell him I have feelings for him._ He swallowed thickly. “Kageyama…”

“Yeah?” Kageyama breathed.

He could feel the words welling up in him, like a bucket filled to its brim with water that only needed one more drop to overflow. However, as much as he tried, he just couldn’t seem to summon that last drop. He struggled for a moment before finally murmuring, “Thank you.”

He wondered if he had imagined the brief flicker of disappointment in Kageyama’s eyes. “No problem,” the setter replied in a similar tone.

Yamaguchi accepted the volleyball from Kageyama and watched as he turned to take his previous position. He let out a soft sigh. _I’m a coward._

They practiced a little longer after that before Daichi finally returned to kick them out of the gym so he could lock up. They said polite goodbyes to him and to each other before going their separate ways. The whole walk home, Yamaguchi couldn’t get the memory of the way Kageyama had looked at him out of his head.

\-----

“I’m going to tell Kageyama I like him,” was the first thing he said to Hinata at school the next day, and his friend gasped and let out a whoop of excitement.

“That’s great!” he yelled, his grin wide. “When? How are you gonna do it?”

Yamaguchi fiddled with the strap of his bag nervously. “I...I’m not sure yet,” he admitted. “How do you think I should do it?”

Immediately dozens of suggestions spewed rapid-fire from Hinata, everything from slipping a note to him in his locker to convincing the principal to let him announce it over the school’s intercoms. It made Yamaguchi feel overwhelmed at the sheer volume of options. Eventually he managed to cut Hinata off. “I’ll probably just talk to him after practice!” he said firmly.

Hinata nodded approvingly. “That works. Just make sure to be blunt or else he won’t get it,” he instructed.

This was pretty obvious based on Kageyama’s personality, but the thought of having to actually express the feelings in his heart made him feel nervous regardless. Still, there was no way he could let this crush simmer for as long as he had let the last one. Not when there was actually a real chance of his feelings being returned this time. 

He was jittery throughout the whole school day, to the point where one of his teachers asked him if he had to go to the bathroom since he was fidgeting so much. He would probably have felt more embarrassed if Tsukishima hadn’t immediately piped up with a question that somehow managed to sound condescending but with just enough sincerity that he didn’t get called out on it. Yamaguchi did his best not to fidget in class so much again.

He considered skipping lunch and eating in his classroom instead before deciding this would be too suspicious and joining the other three first year players as usual. It was especially awkward not only thanks to him being so flustered around Kageyama, but also because Hinata was practically vibrating with excitement and kept sending him knowing grins (Yamaguchi knew he shouldn’t have told him first). Obviously confused by their actions, Kageyama glared at Hinata. “What are you so damn excited about?” he demanded.

Hinata waved him off. “Noooooothing, nooooooothing,” he insisted. “You’ll find out eventually.” 

To Yamaguchi’s horror, he then proceeded to actually wink at him. He was going to have to have a talk with Hinata about being subtle.

Tsukishima seemed suspicious as he watched them interact, Kageyama now stealing a piece of Hinata’s shredded pork in retaliation for not telling him and Hinata letting out a squawk of protest, but eventually he seemed to come to a sort of realization and rolled his eyes. “Shut up and eat your food, Shrimp,” he scolded. “You’re too loud.”

Immediately Hinata turned on him, several more insulting nicknames spilling out of him. Yamaguchi didn’t bother trying to break them up, he was just grateful that Hinata wasn’t acting weird anymore. When he looked back to Kageyama, he was giving him what appeared to be a concerned look. Yamaguchi blushed and focused on his bento.

When the bell finally rang, Kageyama and Hinata raced each other to their next class. Once the two of them were out of sight, Tsukishima said, “you’re planning on telling the king about your feelings, aren’t you?”

Cheeks bright red, Yamaguchi nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

Tsukishima nodded and stood, gathering his garbage. “I would wish you luck, but I honestly don’t think you need it,” he stated, his tone deceptively nonchalant.

Yamaguchi looked up at him with wide eyes, and then a wide smile came to his face. “Thanks, Tsukki!”

A seemingly exasperated huff escaped Tsukishima as he headed for his class, but even though he didn’t get a look at his face, Yamaguchi thought he spotted a hint of pink on the tips of his friend’s ears.

Unfortunately, Yamaguchi only grew more nervous the closer it got to practice, and by the time he got to the clubhouse he was sure he looked physically ill. Maybe he was ill. Maybe he would have to go home early and avoid this whole thing all together. His thoughts were interrupted when Tsukishima came up behind him to pinch him in the side, making him yelp. “Quit looking like you’re about to be executed,” he muttered. “You’ll be fine.”

Yamaguchi took a deep breath to steady himself and nodded slightly. “Right,” he muttered.

The rest of practice went fairly smoothly. Yamaguchi spent most of it practicing with Noya or doing individual drills. He wasn’t necessarily actively avoiding Kageyama, but he would be lying if he said that wasn’t a factor in it. At one point he and Kageyama met eyes, but the setter quickly looked away. This somehow both made Yamaguchi feel more nervous and made him more determined to follow through with the confession.

At last practice ended, and Yamaguchi’s heart was pounding as he approached the cause of his nerves. “Kageyama?” He shuffled his feet nervously as Kageyama turned to face him. “Do you, uh...would you like to walk home together today?”

Kageyama seemed surprised, but hesitantly nodded. “Ah, sure,” he said, tossing the balls he was carrying into the ball cart. “Is Tsukishima busy today?”

An awkward chuckle came from Yamaguchi. “Yeah, something like that,” he alluded.

He managed to ignore the confused look Kageyama was giving him thanks to Suga calling him to get a mop. For the rest of clean up, he focused on nothing else but his assigned duties so he didn’t have to think about what he was going to do in less than an hour. It only helped distract him for so long, and as soon as he had changed out of his gym clothes the anxiety returned, filling his gut and settling there like a heavy stone. 

He waited at the bottom of the stairs with his bag, and soon enough Kageyama joined him. He managed a small smile for him, and Kageyama responded with a nod. They fell into step alongside each other, and for the first ten minutes of the walk both of them were silent. Yamaguchi considered attempting to make small talk, but every time he tried a nauseous feeling welled up inside him, so he said nothing. 

After a while, Kageyama cleared his throat, and Yamaguchi looked to him questioningly. “Are you...okay?” Kageyama finally asked. “You’ve been acting kinda weird today, and...well, you know you can tell me anything.”

Yamaguchi’s heart leaped into his throat. It was the perfect opportunity to say it, the words he had been planning out and practicing to himself over and over again all day. He knew that. He just had to open his mouth and tell him.

“Kageyama…”

His mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened and closed again. The words were right there. Why wouldn’t they come out? It wasn’t like they were hard words to say, he just had to get it over with! 

“...It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

He really was a coward.

An unreadable expression passed Kageyama’s face, but he nodded slowly. “Alright,” he said quietly.

The rest of the walk was as silent as the first part had been, and Yamaguchi spent it silently berating himself. Kageyama probably thought he was keeping some big secret from him now. After all the things he had told Yamaguchi about himself, he couldn’t even tell him this one simple thing. How pathetic was he?

Kageyama’s voice pulled him back out of his self loathing. “Uh, this is my turn.” Looking up, Yamaguchi saw that they had indeed reached the point where they had to part ways. How had they reached it so fast? When he looked to Kageyama, he looked slightly uncomfortable. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Yamaguchi,” he mumbled.

As he turned to leave, a kind of panic welled up in Yamaguchi. He couldn’t keep sitting on these feelings. He couldn’t let Kageyama find out when he went to school the next morning and Hinata eagerly asked him what he said in response to Yamaguchi’s confession. He had to say something!

The words finally broke free with a desperate, “I like you, Kageyama!”

Kageyama froze. Then he whipped around to look at him, his eyes wide and his cheeks red. “Y-Yamaguchi?” he spoke, his voice strangled.

Swallowing past the lump in his throat that had built up from the deja vu of the whole situation, Yamaguchi looked down at his feet, his clenched fists shaking. “I like you,” he repeated. “And not just as friends. I mean the more than friends way.” He squeezed his eyes shut, the threat of tears already prickling at their corners. “I-I understand if you don’t feel the sa--”

Sudden hands on his shoulders interrupted him, startling him enough to make him look up with eyes wide. Kageyama’s face was bright red and his hands were shaking slightly, but he was looking at Yamaguchi with an intensity that made his heart skip a beat. “Do you mean that?” he croaked. “You really...you really like me?”

Yamaguchi licked his lips and slowly nodded. “Yeah, I do,” he confirmed softly.

In that moment, to Yamaguchi’s wonder, a familiar wobbly smile appeared on Kageyama’s face. The one that was reserved for when he was so happy he almost couldn’t contain it. Yamaguchi had seen it a couple of times before, but he had never thought that wonderful smile would ever be caused by him. 

He watched in wonder as Kageyama attempted to hide the blush that now completely covered his face with one hand. “Me too,” the setter finally said, the words muffled behind his hand. “I...I like you too.”

When Yamaguchi finally processed what he had just heard, relief and happiness bloomed inside his chest, and a wide smile spread across his face. “Really?” he practically whispered.

Kageyama only nodded in response, too busy doing his best impression of a tomato to try to speak. A disbelieving giggle bubbled up and out of Yamaguchi, and he hid his face in his hands. “You like me!” he exclaimed through his laughter.

At first Kageyama seemed like he wanted to protest being laughed at, but the giddy feeling was contagious, and soon enough Kageyama’s giggles bubbled up as well. “You like me back!” he retorted.

For a while, the two of them just stood there giggling loudly. If anyone had passed by at that time, they probably would have been pretty unsettled by the sight. Eventually they both finally managed to control their laughter, panting quietly and staring at each other. Yamaguchi thought perhaps if he died right then and there, he would have no regrets.

Well, he supposed he still had one more thing to do.

“Hey, Kageyama?”

Kageyama raised an eyebrow, still a little out of breath. “Yeah?”

Yamaguchi’s eyes sparkled warmly. “Can I kiss you?”

The blush instantly returned to Kageyama’s face, and he looked away in embarrassment, but he still gave a small nod.

With a happy grin, Yamaguchi took a step closer. He brought his hand up to cup Kageyama’s cheek, turning his face towards his own. After only a moment of hesitation, he leaned in and pressed their lips together.

It wasn’t the most exciting of kisses, especially for a first kiss. There were no fireworks going off behind his eyelids, and it wasn’t like a scene out of the few shojo mangas that he considered his guilty pleasures. Kageyama’s lips were warm and chapped and a little stiff with obvious nervousness. And yet, somehow it still felt absolutely perfect.

Soon enough, Kageyama got over his stiffness and melted into the kiss, tilting his head slightly to get a better angle. That subtle move alone made Yamaguchi feel dizzy with happiness. By the time they separated for air, both of them were panting again, but this time not from laughter. Kageyama’s face was still flushed, and his eyes were lidded as they met Yamaguchi’s. He licked his lips and then muttered breathlessly, “One more.”

Yamaguchi blinked once, and then suddenly another fit of giggles came over him, making Kageyama blink in confusion. “What?” he asked gruffly.

“You just…” Yamaguchi spoke through his laughter. “...You sounded so much like Hinata just now.”

Kageyama grimaced. “Don’t think about Hinata when I’m trying to kiss you.”

This made Yamaguchi laugh louder, but he made sure to kiss him again all the same.

\-----

The next day, Yamaguchi walked to the gym for morning practice with a spring in his step. His mother had noticed and commented on his good mood, and he had given her the barest of details, still not feeling quite ready to admit the reason for his cheer yet. Thankfully, she didn’t press him for more information and sent him off with an oddly knowing sparkle in her eyes.

He met up with Tsukishima on the way, who raised an eyebrow and fell into step beside him. “I take it things went well,” he commented.

With a happy grin, Yamaguchi nodded. “They went really well,” he admitted.

“Good,” Tsukishima spoke with a nod, and that was the end of that conversation.

When they arrived at the gym, they found Kageyama and Hinata already there, with Hinata locking up his bike. Kageyama caught Yamaguchi’s eyes, and both of them immediately started blushing. “Hi,” Yamaguchi greeted with a shy smile.

“Y-yo,” Kageyama responded.

Hinata looked between the two of them, and he let out a loud gasp, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “You did it, didn’t you?!”

When Yamaguchi nodded sheepishly, Hinata let out a loud whoop and leaped into the air. “Congratulations!” he cheered. “I told you he liked you back!”

Kageyama quickly turned to Hinata, his eyes wide in embarrassed horror. “Wha-- how did you know that, dumbass?!” he sputtered.

Hinata sent him a cheeky grin. “Um, it was kinda obvious,” he pointed out. “Practically the only time you’re not staring at him is when he’s staring at you!”

With a growl, Kageyama made a grab for Hinata’s hair, and he immediately shrieked and made a mad dash for the gym with Kageyama right behind him. Tsukishima turned to Yamaguchi with a blank expression. “That is the person you chose to fall for,” he stated dryly.

Yamaguchi let out an exasperated sigh, but even that couldn’t drive the fond smile off his face. “I’m aware,” he replied, watching the other two disappear through the gym doors. The sound of Kageyama’s yelling and Hinata’s babbled apologies was soon cut off by Daichi shouting at both of them to stop fighting. Yamaguchi could picture the exact sulky look with a slight hint of fear that Kageyama was likely wearing at that very moment.

_God, I hope he never changes._

Hoisting his bag a little higher on his shoulder, Yamaguchi sent a grin to Tsukishima. “Come on, let’s get in there before the captain yells at us for being late,” he said cheerfully.

Tsukishima snorted in amusement, but jogged in with him all the same. As Yamaguchi has expected, the freak duo had familiar pouts on their faces, but upon spotting Yamaguchi Kageyama’s was replaced with a softer look. Yamaguchi gave him a little wave before moving to switch into his gym shoes. 

Practice that day was pretty average; they did the usual drills, they paired off into their usual groups, and Ukai continued to shout short instructions from the sidelines if someone needed correcting. What was different was that the little glances that Yamaguchi and Kageyama had traded discreetly in the past had now become knowing looks and shy smiles shared between them. Every once in a while, Hinata would catch them staring at each other from across the room and snicker, causing Kageyama to blush and deliver a swift kick in the butt that made him squawk.

Afterwards, when they were in the clubhouse getting changed, Hinata turned to Yamaguchi and asked, “so this means you two are boyfriends now, right?”

Yamaguchi nearly choked on air. As much kissing as he and Kageyama had done the day before, they hadn’t actually discussed titles. “We haven’t-- ah, that is--”

“Yes,” a familiar voice interrupted as an arm slipped around his shoulders. Yamaguchi turned to look at Kageyama with wide eyes. “We are boyfriends,” he continued, before hesitating and looking uncertainly to Yamaguchi. “I mean, that’s what’s supposed to happen when two people like each other, right?”

For a moment, Yamaguchi just looked stunned. Then a wide, happy smile spread across his face. “Yeah, we’re boyfriends,” he agreed warmly, reveling in the way Kageyama’s face lit up.

The sound of a bag hitting the floor came from behind them, and when they turned around they found the eyes of the entire team staring at them. It was then that Yamaguchi recalled that they weren’t exactly in a private space. Oops.

Both his and Kageyama’s faces turned bright red, but before they could explain themselves, Suga began to laugh. “Well, it’s about time!” he exclaimed. “I was beginning to think you two would never stop dancing around each other.”

There were a couple murmurs of agreement from a couple of the others, and Nishinoya came by to slap them both on the back, making them cough. “Congratulations you two!” he spoke with a cheerful laugh. “You’ll make a very cute couple! I mean, not as cute as Kiyoko and whoever is blessed enough to end up being with her, but that’s a given.”

Yamaguchi looked around in surprise, his eyes settling on Daichi, who was chuckling at Noya’s antics. “You guys...don’t mind?” he asked uncertainly.

Daichi smiled. “Well, as long as you don’t let it affect how you play, I don’t see why it should matter if you’re dating.”

Relief swept over Yamaguchi. He had been afraid of how the rest of the team would react when they found out, but it seemed that not only did they not mind, but a lot of them had expected it. He nodded gratefully. “We won’t let our relationship get in the way!” he promised, and he could see Kageyama nodding in agreement from the corner of his eye.

The only one who had yet to show a reaction beyond shock was Tanaka, which was a little worrying considering he was usually the loudest one in any given room. Yamaguchi gave him a nervous look. “Ah, Tanaka-senpai?” he said timidly. “Is there something wrong?”

Tanaka blinked and then quickly shook his head. “Oh, no, I’m happy for both of you, I promise,” he assured him, making Yamaguchi let out a small sigh of relief. “It’s just…”

Kageyama frowned at him. “Just what?” he demanded.

A sheepish look crossed Tanaka’s face and he scratched the back of his head. “Well, I kinda figured that if anyone on the team would have ended up with you, Kageyama, it woulda been Hinata.”

A distressed wail came from Hinata. “Why does everyone keep saying that?!” he demanded.

“Maybe because you bicker like an old married couple,” Tsukishima pointed out with a sneer. 

Hinata whirled on him, pointing at him with a scowl. “Shut up, Jerkyshima!” he snapped. “If that’s what you use to judge it then you bicker with Kageyama too!”

Suga quickly stepped in before it could turn into a real fight, and soon enough everyone was back to getting ready to leave. It seemed almost surreal how quickly things had gone back to normal after finding out what Yamaguchi had thought of as life-altering information, but he was also grateful for it. If his team could accept him so easily, then...perhaps others would as well.

When it was time to go home, he and Kageyama walked together again, this time without the uncomfortable distance they had unconsciously put between each other. Their pinkies kept brushing together, and after the fifth time that happened Yamaguchi finally got the courage to take Kageyama’s hand, Kageyama’s response being to lace their fingers together while looking away in embarrassment. Both of their hands were sweaty, but they fit well together, and it made Yamaguchi insanely happy. 

When he looked over at Kageyama, he found himself mesmerized by the way the sunlight shone off of his hair and highlighted his cheekbones. In that moment, he really did look like royalty. A warm feeling pooled in Yamaguchi’s stomach. “Hey, Kageyama?” he spoke softly.

“Hmm?”

“I think I’m going to tell my mom. About us.”

Caught off guard, Kageyama looked at him with wide eyes. “...You’re sure?” he asked.

Yamaguchi nodded, turning his eyes back on the road. “Yeah, I think I’m ready. And besides,” he gave a small shrug, “even if she doesn’t approve, I feel like it won’t matter as much now.”

Kageyama didn’t look like he knew what to make of that, but he nodded all the same, gently squeezing Yamaguchi’s hand. “I’ll be there for you no matter what happens,” he said gruffly.

With a warm smile, Yamaguchi pressed their shoulders together. “I know you will,” he murmured.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy, it's been way too long since I've actually finished a fanfic, and this one's been in the works for a while, so I hope you ell enjoy it! 
> 
> Before I started writing this, I actually didn't ship Kageyama and Yamaguchi very much. I liked pretty much any other combination of the Karasuno first years as a ship, but this one just wasn't connecting with me very much. I went through the tag out of curiosity, and I was surprised to find that most of the pics there were either established relationship or AUs, and there wasn't really any fics talking about how they might get together in the canonverse. This made me start thinking of how it might go if they did get together, and decided to use that as a prompt for a writing exercise.
> 
> I was expecting to have this be somewhere between 1000-2000 words. As you can see, it got away from me a bit.^^; That being said, I definitely ship this a lot more now! I don't know if I'll ever write any other stories for this pairing though.
> 
> If you didn't recognize it, the title came from the song "I Found" by Amber Run.
> 
> I have a couple more Haikyuu fics planned, including an asanoya oneshot and a daisuga chapter fic, so keep an eye out for those!
> 
> Thank you very much for reading this!


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